You may already know that U.S. citizens (and those of some other countries) can live in Germany for 90 days without any type of visa before the country gives them a 3-month timeout (they make you leave the EU for 3 months). The last of my 90 days is July 4th, and I don’t want to sit in timeout, so June is really busy.
I’ve finished my first major task: deciding which visa I need. Mostly, I accomplished that with individual research. Funnily enough, asking people for advice about getting a visa is almost completely fruitless. Many people I’ve met are here for work, so all they know is that someone in a suit cut some red tape for them and now they’re living in Germany. Others had to endure really strict immigration processes that required them to have a visa before they even set foot in the country. And others just spread random second-hand fantasies and phantom tips.
“I know a guy…”
[He probably doesn’t know a guy]
“…who just told the government…”
[Sure. I’d love to meet Mr. Government if he’s ever available.]
“…that he’s a freelancer. So they just gave him something called a ‘Freelancer Visa,’ and now he can stay here!”
[They didn’t ‘just give him’ one. One of the bundle of requirements of a ‘Freelancer Visa’ is that you prove that you’ve been contracted for 3 projects at the time you apply for it.]
Many of the second-hand tips are like that one. They begin with “Have you heard of a [X] Visa?” Then, they make it sound like the German government is just giving them away to people with faces. Those tips are problems, because they can make you think that getting a visa is easy or worse, quick, and that you can wait a little while before you start applying for one.
So I’ve relied mostly on the Internet for my research. Forgetting about travelers’ blogs, because they really just offer more phantom tips, I set my sights on government resources. First, Google led me to the US Embassy’s residence permit tips. They give really general advice–gems like “yeah, you need a permit after 90 days,” and “go talk to the Germans if you really want to know the requirements for a visa.” Nice. Germany’s official resources aren’t any better. They offer super lists (read: comprehensive lists) which, if followed, could get anyone in the world into Germany. I know that some of those requirements don’t apply to me, so I had to keep looking. Finally, I found the best resource at the University of Munich’s website.
Anyway, the visa upon which I’ve decided is called a “Student Application Visa.” It gives me three extra months to apply to a university. Then, once I’m accepted, it becomes a normal student visa that allows me to live in Germany for the duration of my time with the school.
My plan to remain in Germany relies on my accomplishing three things in the next 20 or so days: obtain a student application visa, get into an LMU Master’s program, and book the next 6-8 months of German courses.
1. Obtain a Student Application Visa
I’ll be getting this one going tomorrow morning at 7am, across town, since “early morning” and “across town” are parts of a universal phenomenon that determines how we work with governments. Mostly, this is about filling out easy forms and showing my passport to people who glare at me. But, I just learned that I need German health insurance before I can get a visa, here. So far, getting insured sounds easy and cheap (EURO 50 per month is what I keep hearing). I’m wary, though, since that could just be a phantom tip.
2. Get Into an LMU Master’s Program
I’ve always known I would eventually go back for more education. Academia is just so tasty and theoretical that a second round needs to happen in the middle of my career to prevent mental atrophy. Now is a good time–I’m in another country, I don’t have to leave a job to make it happen, the local university is really good, and they offer a really interesting program–so I’m going for it.
Coming from the undergrad business world, I certainly considered the MBA. But, I mostly floated back and forth between “maybe” and “no,” never actually breaching the positive end of the argument. As I read and asked people about getting an MBA, I always encountered the same pros (not always all at once, but I never encountered other pros). They are 1) the letters “MBA” on your resume, 2) personal connections and 3) return on investment stemming from 1 and 2. While those three are no doubt useful benefits, they are not benefits I need from my education. Well, I admit that ROI is a factor I need to consider, but I think I have a pretty low threshold for “acceptable ROI,” and ROI is a weak factor for any program above that threshold.
As I researched the universities near and in Munich, I tossed around Economics and Psychology, believing they could make me a better marketer and, one day, an awesome marketing leader. At once, though, I noticed a strange-sounding Master’s program at the bottom of LMU’s English-taught programs list: Logic and the Philosophy of Science. I had to investigate; it sounded like a program rooted in questioning the ability of science to deliver Truth. God, that’s tasty.
It turns out that’s, in large part, what it is. The program’s informative resources previewed its subject areas.
- Philosophical Logic
- General Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of the Special Sciences: eg “Philosophy of the Social Sciences”
- Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics: What is the role of logic in thought and reasoning?
- Rational Choice and Formal Epistemology: eg Formal Rationality Concepts in Decision Theory and Social Choice Theory
- Analytic Philosophy: eg “Philosophy of Language” and “Philosophy of Probability”
GOD, that is tasty.
If I am accepted, I’ll use what I learn from the program to develop ideas and perspectives related to conducting market research, analyzing marketing data, employing appeals to marketing audiences and markets, and evaluating different marketing plans before launch, when there are more than one option.
In short, I’ll use the program to be a better specialist in the short term, and an awesome leader in the long term.
3. Book the Next 6-8 Months of German Courses
6 more months will get me through B2 level (I just finished A1, and the last possible level is C2). That’s where many tell me I should stop, since it’s where the practical German ends (for instance, future tense starts in C1, but nobody uses future tense, here). 8 months gets me through C1. That’s where I want to stop, since I want to be able to be clever. Even teachers say C2 isn’t worth it unless you’re a linguist, so I’ll trust them on that one.
I studied A1 at Tandem Munich. 1 unit (2 months) costs 1,090 Euros there. I will be studying A2 and probably all of the rest at the Muenchner Volkshochschule. One unit (2 months) costs 460 Euros. From what I can tell, the secret behind the price difference is that the German government subsidizes the VHS. It’s nice to know that life still involves some easy decisions.
Anyway, this is the easiest step. Every few weeks, I go to the VHS and enroll in a new German course (courses aren’t available much further than 2 months ahead of time). The challenge is dedicating myself to going to Rosenheimerplatz once a week to make sure the classes don’t fill up before I can enroll. It’s insane how quickly VHS classes reach capacity.
Well, that’s it.
Without spending much time on the sign off, I’ll just say that I hope all of this works out. Wish me luck.